Debi Bandana-
Maa aschhen (Maa is coming)...sabai jago...sabai esho...Maa aschhe (wake-up everyone...come everyone...Maa is coming)....
What does it symbolize- The Durga Puja...Triumph of Good over Evil- as in with most of the Hindu Rituals.
Question#2: How do you define Evil?
Answer: Any force which is against good, therefore God ! (I guess that shall be the most voted answer)
Question#3:What is Good?
Answer: Good is the way to reach God ! (I am not sure about the popularity of this one)
U must be wondering, why am I throwing questions so early in the post and myself answering them. Well friends I also share the same kind of feeling while writing these lines.
Ours is an interesting case..."Ours stands for the habitants of the Sub-continent" !
Interesting as in we know how to laugh at the worst of times...by worst, I mean highly unfavourable times.
Its time to celebrate and welcome Goddess Durga on the Earth for a week. This is the time to forget all differences and smile and hug each other.
"Shubho Sharadiya"- thats precisely the most used Bong word during this period. Its an unmatched feeling which every Bong goes through. Life today has taken a toll and moved the sons of the soil far away from their Native place. It has taken me away as well. Away from the Ganges...away from the plains of Bengal...away from the delta of Sundarban...away from the Bhat- machher jhol...away from the small uncatered villages...away from the majestic union of Diamond Harbour....and away from Kolkata.
I am sure this is going to establish a direct connect for all Bongs living across the planet. This is the time when we all feel united, united with a spirit of togetherness, united and strong, and its when we miss Kolkata the most.
I am a Bengali...What does it mean?
Something is there which connects us all, all Bongs by heart...Shiuli Phool'r Gondho pachho tumi (Can you smell the fragrance of "Shiuli" flower)?
I can, can you hear the bells, can you hear the Shankh?...I can...
Maa is coming....the Goddess Durga...She is coming to remove all sorrows...She is here to make you feel special in this unimportant world...She is here to answer those questions which has been bothering you for an year..She is here for a new beginning...
But how do we welcome Her...apart from the tradition...is there anything special we are doing?
Something She might have waited to see for years, but has never really happened...
But She will come again....with a hope...a small yet potential hope...that will see us through.
We are living in a jungle called Life...where there are dangerous animals all around...we have to save ourselves...we have to save money...save treasures...thats will protect our family- its a Treasure Hunt.
Isn't it?...from the day 1, we are born, we are taught to look after ourselves (only), educate ourselves (only), earn money for ourselves (only), protect your family (only). The Capitalist theory says, it has to be the individual who has to come up, the society shall come up by itself. And its kind of true as well...atleast the India we live in.
Then who shares the burden of others, the burden of the person who has no sorts...the burden of the person who shall never develop, the burden of the family who shall still crave for 2 meals a day...
The intention of this post is not at all to take away the happiness surrounding this festival.
But to remind ourselves of those who wish to see the lights, but dont have the eyes, those who want to dance, but don't have the legs, those who want to enjoy, but don't have the heart.
This year lets welcome Maa Durga with a promise to make some people smile, some people dance, some people see...some people enjoy.
I guess, thats the best we can do being human beings and do some justice to the title of being the most responsible species on this planet.
Sorry for trying to establish a Bong Connection. It just happened with the flow.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Children of God !
How do we define our existence on this planet? How do we justify our existence? By our small yet significant deeds...I guess. And what we learn in life?...how significant are they for that matter?...Sometimes...small acts of innocence, and cuteness do leave a mark.
These children are the doomed residues of a few construction workers who work at a site which is a few metres away from my office building. The labourers as we prefer calling them, toil day long in the heat as well as water to earn their bread. And to make matters worse they multiplied healthily to drop a few pieces of life on this planet. What for? I mean why?...just to see them meeting with the same fate of suffering and homelessness...
I generally see these magnificent creatures roaming around here and there, whenever I drop out for a smoke.
The little ones roll over the sand, giggling at each other...sometimes they stare at me...asking questions which I can never answer. The eyes ask me, "Why are your clothes so clean?, What's shining stuff you wear on your feet?, Why is your hair so neatly done?...Are you one of us?..."
And I stare back at them, not knowing what to do...not knowing what to say...just a cold stare...
It was a Saturday afternoon when I thought of a fag just before leaving for my place. There these kids were playing something which probably every Indian learns even before coming out of his mother's womb. Cricket....to be specific Gully Cricket !!! 3 of them had suddenly discovered that a small broken, battered piece of wood and an uneven discoloured round object can suffice them with some unforgettable moments of joy...They were playing.
As I said Cricket is in my blood as well...I went near and asked for the ball apprehensively, not knowing what shall be the fate of my desire...I was greeted with a smile...and the Ball...I played for 5 minutes...and when i was leaving...those angels requested me to continue...I was overwhelmed...trust me...my heart was touched...by these little insignificant creatures...who wished to share their joy with me. I left.
Once I happened to be at the society where my previous Boss stays. A similar situation, 3 kids playing Cricket...As u see the common factor...was the 2 of us....Cricket and me...But there were a lot of differences... they had branded Cricket Bats, top quality tennis balls and...they refused me when I approached...
This experience was unique...so was the aforesaid one...but it again made me realize how small and insignificant we are...we the affluent class...who don't need to worry about the daily bread, who don't need to worry about where to sleep when it rains tonight, who don't need to worry about someone stealing our privacy...
And yet we are afraid to share...we have it...still won't give it...
And those amazing half-naked dirty creatures came all out and accepted me as one of them...they didn't make me feel humiliated...the fact that I was neat and clean and well clothed...didn't make a difference.
What do we have?...4 walls and a ceiling sealing our privacy...well those little flowers have the world within their arms...they can lie down wherever they wish to...they can roll over to the nearest grass and smell its freshness...while for the same we need to dress up for morning walk...and think twice before bending down, carefully holding our trousers so that they don't get soiled....complicated isn't it?
I am not here to point out flaws or teaching what's right or wrong....but I wish to term these small "things" as the Children of God...who are special...who are God's way to reach us...and make us feel realize what a harmless Smile can cause....
Yes, when she gives those cold stares, I know what to do...I know...I smile at her...and she smiles back.
And we are united in the spirit of humanity...
These children are the doomed residues of a few construction workers who work at a site which is a few metres away from my office building. The labourers as we prefer calling them, toil day long in the heat as well as water to earn their bread. And to make matters worse they multiplied healthily to drop a few pieces of life on this planet. What for? I mean why?...just to see them meeting with the same fate of suffering and homelessness...
I generally see these magnificent creatures roaming around here and there, whenever I drop out for a smoke.
The little ones roll over the sand, giggling at each other...sometimes they stare at me...asking questions which I can never answer. The eyes ask me, "Why are your clothes so clean?, What's shining stuff you wear on your feet?, Why is your hair so neatly done?...Are you one of us?..."
And I stare back at them, not knowing what to do...not knowing what to say...just a cold stare...
It was a Saturday afternoon when I thought of a fag just before leaving for my place. There these kids were playing something which probably every Indian learns even before coming out of his mother's womb. Cricket....to be specific Gully Cricket !!! 3 of them had suddenly discovered that a small broken, battered piece of wood and an uneven discoloured round object can suffice them with some unforgettable moments of joy...They were playing.
As I said Cricket is in my blood as well...I went near and asked for the ball apprehensively, not knowing what shall be the fate of my desire...I was greeted with a smile...and the Ball...I played for 5 minutes...and when i was leaving...those angels requested me to continue...I was overwhelmed...trust me...my heart was touched...by these little insignificant creatures...who wished to share their joy with me. I left.
Once I happened to be at the society where my previous Boss stays. A similar situation, 3 kids playing Cricket...As u see the common factor...was the 2 of us....Cricket and me...But there were a lot of differences... they had branded Cricket Bats, top quality tennis balls and...they refused me when I approached...
This experience was unique...so was the aforesaid one...but it again made me realize how small and insignificant we are...we the affluent class...who don't need to worry about the daily bread, who don't need to worry about where to sleep when it rains tonight, who don't need to worry about someone stealing our privacy...
And yet we are afraid to share...we have it...still won't give it...
And those amazing half-naked dirty creatures came all out and accepted me as one of them...they didn't make me feel humiliated...the fact that I was neat and clean and well clothed...didn't make a difference.
What do we have?...4 walls and a ceiling sealing our privacy...well those little flowers have the world within their arms...they can lie down wherever they wish to...they can roll over to the nearest grass and smell its freshness...while for the same we need to dress up for morning walk...and think twice before bending down, carefully holding our trousers so that they don't get soiled....complicated isn't it?
I am not here to point out flaws or teaching what's right or wrong....but I wish to term these small "things" as the Children of God...who are special...who are God's way to reach us...and make us feel realize what a harmless Smile can cause....
Yes, when she gives those cold stares, I know what to do...I know...I smile at her...and she smiles back.
And we are united in the spirit of humanity...
I start....
Dear All,
I really don't know as to what sort of introduction is expected when you guys read my page for the first time. Anyways, lets try it out. My views, no....my thoughts can be quite confusing at times. That shall be majorly due to the fact that at one point of time a lot goes on in my mind. Never am I trying to say or claim that i am good at multi-tasking, but its just that I cant think of only one thing. There are 2 many beautiful things on this planet worth given a thought. That's what I often do and thereby end up with some confused, unanswered, curious, ambiguous, cloudy feeling which lingers in my mind now and then. Maybe i wanna remember those when i turn 50. Maybe thats the sole reason for this work. Maybe not, maybe I wish to invite you to my world, where mostly things are unconditional. Be it love, be it justice, be it sacrifice, be it pain, be it joy, be it success. On that note allow me to muster courage to show you my part of life...the way I like to see it, or like to believe it.
We will see daily blogs, as in happenings which may not leave a mark, as well some unforgettable moments, as and when the flow comes. And I am not a poet.
Shall ask you questions as well...dont be a spoiler then. See you later.
Thanks
I really don't know as to what sort of introduction is expected when you guys read my page for the first time. Anyways, lets try it out. My views, no....my thoughts can be quite confusing at times. That shall be majorly due to the fact that at one point of time a lot goes on in my mind. Never am I trying to say or claim that i am good at multi-tasking, but its just that I cant think of only one thing. There are 2 many beautiful things on this planet worth given a thought. That's what I often do and thereby end up with some confused, unanswered, curious, ambiguous, cloudy feeling which lingers in my mind now and then. Maybe i wanna remember those when i turn 50. Maybe thats the sole reason for this work. Maybe not, maybe I wish to invite you to my world, where mostly things are unconditional. Be it love, be it justice, be it sacrifice, be it pain, be it joy, be it success. On that note allow me to muster courage to show you my part of life...the way I like to see it, or like to believe it.
We will see daily blogs, as in happenings which may not leave a mark, as well some unforgettable moments, as and when the flow comes. And I am not a poet.
Shall ask you questions as well...dont be a spoiler then. See you later.
Thanks
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